A Singapore-flagged container ship burned and sank in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, the third commercial vessel lost in the waterway this month, as Iran's war with the United States and Israel spills ever further onto the shipping lanes that carry roughly a fifth of the world's oil.

All 21 crew members of the container ship GFS Pride were evacuated safely and no injuries were reported, Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority said, after the vessel was struck by an unidentified projectile and caught fire while transiting the strait.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Navy gave a very different account, claiming the ship exploded and went down after striking a naval mine while sailing an "unauthorized and hazardous route," according to the state news agency Tasnim. A U.S. official disputed that version, saying Iran was lying and had most likely attacked the ship with a missile.

"THESE ATTACKS ARE UNPROVOKED, UNJUSTIFIABLE AND A BREACH OF INTERNATIONAL LAW."

The sinking caps the worst week yet for Gulf shipping since the war began roughly seven and a half months ago. More than 20 vessels, most of them oil tankers, have been attacked this month in Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre incident logs, leaving two sailors missing and a dozen injured. Crude flows through the strait have fallen to nearly 40 percent below prewar levels.

A War Widening by the Day

The ship attacks are only one front. Explosions rattled Riyadh again Wednesday morning after Saudi air defenses intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile, officials said, a day after missile debris fell on residential neighborhoods, injuring four people and damaging fifteen homes. A Houthi strike last week killed 13 people at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, which has not reopened since. The Iran-backed group has vowed to keep hitting Saudi airports and oil infrastructure, calling it retaliation for what it labels Saudi aggression against the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa.

The widening fight is now pulling Washington toward a decision point. President Trump is weighing whether to join Saudi Arabia's campaign against the Houthis — a move that would pull the U.S. deeper into a war that began with American and Israeli strikes on Iran. The Houthis have warned they will target U.S. personnel and interests across the Middle East if Trump gives that order.

The economic fallout is already landing at home. White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett pointed to Houthi strikes on Saudi oil assets to explain September's disappointing inflation report, which showed consumer prices rising 3.7 percent annually as gasoline averaged $4.33 a gallon nationally.

For now, Gulf shipowners are left weighing Tehran's version of events against Washington's, with another vessel on the seafloor and no sign the attacks are slowing.